Culture

HOUSTON - (Dec. 14, 2020) - Nanomaterials researchers in Finland, the United States and China have created a color atlas for 466 unique varieties of single-walled carbon nanotubes.

The nanotube color atlas is detailed in a study in Advanced Materials about a new method to predict the specific colors of thin films made by combining any of the 466 varieties. The research was conducted by researchers from Aalto University in Finland, Rice University and Peking University in China.

Scientists from the University of Graz and the Kanzelhöhe Solar Observatory (Austria) and their colleagues from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) developed a new method based on deep learning for stable classification and quantification of image quality in ground-based full-disk solar images. The research results were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics and are available in open access.

A study by the University of Southampton gives a new perspective on why our planet has managed to stay habitable for billions of years - concluding it is almost certainly due, at least in part, to luck. The research suggests this may lengthen the odds of finding life on so-called 'twin-Earths' in the Universe.

The research, published in the Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment, involved conducting the first ever simulation of climate evolution on thousands of randomly generated planets.

Scientists at the University of Bath have developed a quick and easy approach for capturing 360° VR photography without using expensive specialist cameras. The system uses a commercially available 360° camera on a rotating selfie stick to capture video footage and create an immersive VR experience.

Virtual reality headsets are becoming increasingly popular for gaming, and with the global pandemic restricting our ability to travel, this system could also be a cheap and easy way to create virtual tours for tourist destinations.

An international team of researchers, including researchers from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) headed by Prof. Dr. Dirk M. Guldi have now managed to identify the fundamental problems relating to the photophysics and photochemistry of carbon nanocolloids (CNC), and ascertain possible approaches for research into these readily available, non-toxic and adaptable nanomaterials.

As Covid-19 infections soar across the U.S., some states are tightening restrictions and reinstituting quarantine measures to slow the virus' spread. A model developed by MIT researchers shows a direct link between the number of people who become infected and how effectively a state maintains its quarantine measures.

A hyper-sensitive instrument, deep underground in Italy, has finally succeeded at the nearly impossible task of detecting CNO neutrinos (tiny particles pointing to the presence of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen) from our sun's core. These little-known particles reveal the last missing detail of the fusion cycle powering our sun and other stars.

Heidelberg/Germany, 14 December 2020 - Molecular markers in the blood shown to be predictive of severe COVID-19 outcomes resulting from SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection have been identified in a study by a Chinese research team. The study results extend understanding of the pathophysiology and clinical progress of COVID-19 with potential for identifying early during the course of infection which individuals are most at risk of developing severe conditions and requiring hospital care.

In the first months after their COVID-19 hospital stay, patients face a high risk of ongoing health problems, trips back to the hospital, and death, a growing number of studies has shown.

But the first week and a half may be especially dangerous, according to a new study in JAMA by a team from the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

Known for their appetizing flavors, such as bubblegum, banana and strawberry, e-cigarettes continue to grow in popularity around the world. Promoted by makers as a "healthy" alternative to regular tobacco cigarettes, researchers are finding e-cigarettes, or vaping, still result in injury to the lungs.

Las Vegas, Nev. (December 14, 2020) - Several years ago, while studying the environmental impacts of large-scale solar farms in the Nevada desert, Desert Research Institute (DRI) scientists Yuan Luo, Ph.D. and Markus Berli, Ph.D. became interested in one particular question: how does the presence of thousands of solar panels impact desert hydrology?

This question led to more questions. "How do solar panels change the way water hits the ground when it rains?" they asked. "Where does the water go? How much of the rain water stays in the soil? How deep does it go into the soil?"

TROY, N.Y. -- Especially during the holidays, online shopping can be overwhelming. Have you ever found yourself spending hours comparing nearly identical products, delving into details that don't actually matter to you? Have you ever finally reached a decision only to find that the product you want is out of stock? Unfortunately, if so, there is a good chance you did not end up making the best choice.

The News in Brief:

SARS-CoV-2 likely activates endothelial cell responses in patients which contributes to serious lung symptoms, vascular obstruction and respiratory distress with Covid-19.

A study shows that endothelial cells which line capillaries lack ACE2 receptors for SARS-CoV-2 attachment and suggests that SARS-CoV-2 indirectly activates endothelial cell linked disease mechanisms that direct coagulation and inflammation associated with severe Covid-19 disease.

Political polarization - the ever-present and growing division between Republicans and Democrats along ideological lines ­- has a powerful grip on the United States, and a University of Houston researcher has helped explain why, reporting his findings in Science Advances.

In Baltimore, Maryland, people living in low-income urban neighborhoods are more at risk of contracting West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease, than people living in more affluent neighborhoods. So reports a new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.